Discovering boxing

Boxing for me was a last ditch attempt to relieve the pain at the back of my shoulder that had been there for most of my life. I’d tried massage, swimming, yoga, pilates and it was only when I attempted accupuncture, that I stumbled on the real cure: boxing.

The acupuncturist, to his credit, told me I was wasting time and money on all these alternative therapies (including his). ‘Juliet, you need to do high impact training’ he said. I went to my first boxing class the following week and I’ve never looked back.

I didn't expect there to be many women in boxing but I've discovered countless professional women have been seduced by this fitness regime.

Like me they find it the ultimate outlet after a hard day’s work. ‘Boxing is a great method of escapism, [a test of] endurance, strength, and willpower’, says Aimee Di Marco, 30, member of the winning rowing team at Cambridge University and now a specialist registrar at St Mary’s, London.

‘Boxing is more demanding physically than I ever expected’ says Di Marco who regularly attends KO (Knock-Out) circuits at All Stars Gym.

‘I love the sweaty air where you can feel the testosterone. I love the sound of the punch bag reverberating against its wooden stands, heavy ropes slapping the floor’.

Rebecca Wright, 38, is equally enamored with boxing. She quit job at a creative agency to work at The Real Fight Club. ‘It allows me to be in my body, be focused and get rid of my angst.' she says, 'It is a complex sport and not merely thuggery’.